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Ugh! What a day. After doing the morning lab (I'm learning new lab work! Awesome!) I was told that we are expecting our annual state inspection from FDEP (Florida Dept. of Environmental Protection). The director and my supervisor are going to make sure we are in compliance with state regulations, but it is up to us to make sure the plant looks good. Therefore, I was told that I get to clean aerator #2.
As you can tell by the picture, aerator 2 is a massive tank; 3 catwalks, 3 submersible aeration units. And what did I have to clean this tank, you ask? 11 gallons of chlorine, (2) 3-gallon garden spray bottles and 3 hoses.
I started at 9:30 a.m. Did I mention it was very windy today? I started by spraying down everything with water. I got wet. Damn wind. Then I started on a catwalk by spraying chlorine under the catwalks. That was really fun because I had to lean over the railings to get the algae underneath. Did I mention the wind? If not, let me just tell you that is was really windy today. I get just as much chlorine on me as I do on the catwalk. Rinse with water. Get sprayback because of wind. Then start on the railings. Hose them down then give 'em the chlorine, and hose again.
Damn wind.
Oh joy, this hose has a nice leak at the nozzle. Water gets all over me, but I can't switch hoses because they won't reach.
At 12:00 (lunch time) I am 2/3 of the way done. I go eat and come back at 1:00 to finish the job.
Oh, looky there. Giant black storm clouds. And more wind. I get started on the last 1/3 of the tank. It takes me longer because I have to angle everything so I don't get sprayed, and I keep looking at the sky to see if any of those clouds are coming my way. Lots of thunder happening over yonder. At least with the cloud cover it wasn't 100° F (37°C to you metric types).
Finally I finish the tank. Now I just have to do the 2-story steps and I'll be done. Oh, boy.. Rain! Yay! At least I get a nice shower. It came down hard, and I just stood there, arms open, hat and safety glasses off, looking up. I needed to get some of that stuff off me. It rained for about 5 minutes, enough to make it muggy. So I quickly finished the stairs. It's now 3:45 p.m. I'm DONE! I roll up the hoses, grab the sprayers and put them into the nifty wagon we have. I walk up the hill and put them away. Then I head to the warehouse/garage and sit for 20 minutes, bullshitting with some of the guys. Then I head to the office, where the AC is always on high.
As soon as I walk in, Linda the staff ass't says "Whooo! You smell wonderful!" I smell like a very dirty swimming pool. I reply "That's not bad at all if you think about what other wonderful things I could smell like."
I sit down for the last 15 minutes and the other guys start coming in and comment on my wonderful aroma. Ah well, at least I got the job done.
And yes, I came right home and jumped in the shower. I still smell like a swimming pool though.
As you can tell by the picture, aerator 2 is a massive tank; 3 catwalks, 3 submersible aeration units. And what did I have to clean this tank, you ask? 11 gallons of chlorine, (2) 3-gallon garden spray bottles and 3 hoses.
I started at 9:30 a.m. Did I mention it was very windy today? I started by spraying down everything with water. I got wet. Damn wind. Then I started on a catwalk by spraying chlorine under the catwalks. That was really fun because I had to lean over the railings to get the algae underneath. Did I mention the wind? If not, let me just tell you that is was really windy today. I get just as much chlorine on me as I do on the catwalk. Rinse with water. Get sprayback because of wind. Then start on the railings. Hose them down then give 'em the chlorine, and hose again.
Damn wind.
Oh joy, this hose has a nice leak at the nozzle. Water gets all over me, but I can't switch hoses because they won't reach.
At 12:00 (lunch time) I am 2/3 of the way done. I go eat and come back at 1:00 to finish the job.
Oh, looky there. Giant black storm clouds. And more wind. I get started on the last 1/3 of the tank. It takes me longer because I have to angle everything so I don't get sprayed, and I keep looking at the sky to see if any of those clouds are coming my way. Lots of thunder happening over yonder. At least with the cloud cover it wasn't 100° F (37°C to you metric types).
Finally I finish the tank. Now I just have to do the 2-story steps and I'll be done. Oh, boy.. Rain! Yay! At least I get a nice shower. It came down hard, and I just stood there, arms open, hat and safety glasses off, looking up. I needed to get some of that stuff off me. It rained for about 5 minutes, enough to make it muggy. So I quickly finished the stairs. It's now 3:45 p.m. I'm DONE! I roll up the hoses, grab the sprayers and put them into the nifty wagon we have. I walk up the hill and put them away. Then I head to the warehouse/garage and sit for 20 minutes, bullshitting with some of the guys. Then I head to the office, where the AC is always on high.
As soon as I walk in, Linda the staff ass't says "Whooo! You smell wonderful!" I smell like a very dirty swimming pool. I reply "That's not bad at all if you think about what other wonderful things I could smell like."
I sit down for the last 15 minutes and the other guys start coming in and comment on my wonderful aroma. Ah well, at least I got the job done.
And yes, I came right home and jumped in the shower. I still smell like a swimming pool though.
that might remove the chlorine smell b/c it removes the chlorine from the water - of course, you basically doused yourself in chlorine for a good part of the day - it may be awhile before that smell comes off....
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